Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities (PAUSE)

List of Fictitious Governmental Agencies and International Organizations Associated with Soliciting Entities

The SEC receives complaints from investors and others, including foreign securities regulators, about securities solicitations made by entities claiming to offer investments endorsed, approved, or otherwise supported by governmental agencies, including the SEC, or international organizations. The SEC does not "approve" or "endorse" any particular securities, issuers, products, services, professional credentials, firms, or individuals, and does not allow private entities to use its government seal. The SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has issued several Investor Alerts warning investors of bogus regulators and SEC impersonators.

In many cases, SEC investigation reveals that the so-called governmental agencies or international organizations claimed to have lent support to these solicitations do not exist. In an effort to warn the public about these entities, the SEC is posting the list below.

The SEC will regularly update this list.

Additional PAUSE Lists

In addition to the fictitious regulators listed below, the SEC also receives complaints about unregistered soliciting entities and entities impersonating genuine US registered securities firms. You can view a list of these entities by following the separate links listed below.

You should be aware that these lists do not include all unregistered entities, impersonators of genuine firms, fake regulators, or entities that have been the subject of complaints received by the SEC. Also, you should understand that the inclusion of a name on these lists does not mean that the SEC has concluded that a violation of the US securities laws has occurred or that the SEC has made any judgment about the merits of the securities being offered by these entities.